Algorithms, Part I

Worst course I've ever taken. I was really engaged to this course and spent many hours studying, taking neat notes, researching, making diagrams and trying to understand what Sedgewick says. I have a background in programming and strong knowledge of relatively advanced mathematical topics such as logic, calculus and proofs. Almost every subject he explains is like an enigma that you'll have to find the answers to on your own. He does not care about explaining the concepts in an understandable manner. You have to read his book to have an clue of what he is explaining, since there is practically no material around about a lot of topics he covers; such as Quick-find and Union-Find algorithms and even so you end up even more confused because the lectures are inconsistent with what it is said in the book (the book alone does not help either). Also he's always changing the naming conventions and does not care to explain what exactly he means when he refers to variables or programming concepts to his liking. For example there is an operation in a couple of algorithms which is mathematically defined as "find" from the first lectures. In two different lectures he says "find" to refer to a certain operation and later he uses the term to refer to something else that is not even in the slides nor in the book. Also he explained vaguely a WHOLE mathematical proof on the performance of an algorithm just in words without writing down anything that may remotely help you. This proof was quite complex, it involved logarithms and series among other things. If you want to go through the lectures in a superficial manner getting the gist, fine but if you really care about understanding every concept and catch the essence of the course, it will be a nightmare. Although it is not likely that someone willing to do an course on algorithms is looking for superficial knowledge. If you really want to tear your hair out, take this course...

This class (and part 2) are the best courses I've ever done online. The lectures are clear, concise, and interesting. The assignments are fascinating, touching on a whole range of topics (computational geometry, physics, etc.) while allowing us to use and adapt the algorithms discussed in lecture. That's probably my favorite point: rather than have us blindly implement an algorithm described in lecture, the assignments invite us to adapt and use the algorithm in a real application.

Another point: the course involves automated grading/feedback on the programming assignments. This feedback is incredibly detailed, giving information about error checking, performance testing, and even good coding style. As a new developer, I found this immensely helpful.

this algorithm course is a practical one. this course uses java as the main algorithm description tool, and students will have much insight of java.

it's useful to learn the different performance of different implementations of an algorithm. there's no much theoretical explanation in this course, and so it's a short for those who want real understanding of some tricky algorithms, such as quick-selection.

the assignments are also practical, not directly related to the algorithms taught, but about how to use them. from my point of view, it's not worth spending hours on finishing the assignments. however, if you are preparing for a tech interview, the interview questions provided by this course are pretty valuable.

in summary, if your are preparing for a top company's tech interview and have enough time, or you are an experienced programmer and want to refresh your algorithmic skills, this course is a good option. if you are a junior, going to your own college's algorithms courses is a better choice.